Communication device, communication method, program, and communication system

ABSTRACT

Provided is a communication device including a contactless communication unit that conducts contactless communication, a wireless communication unit that conducts wireless communication, and a control unit that, in a case in which the contactless communication unit detects another communication device, controls activation start of a first communication mode of the wireless communication unit, and controls a connection process for the wireless communication between the contactless communication unit and the other communication device.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of and claims the benefit under 37U.S.C. § 120 of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/383,679, titled“COMMUNICATION DEVICE, COMMUNICATION METHOD, PROGRAM, AND COMMUNICATIONSYSTEM”, filed Sep. 8, 2014, now U.S. Pat. No. 9,510,392, which is theNational Stage of International Application No. PCT/JP2013/052586, filedin the Japanese Patent Office as a Receiving Office on Feb. 5, 2013,which claims priority to Japanese Priority Patent Application JP2012-060673 filed in the Japanese Patent Office on Mar. 16, 2012, eachof which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to a communication device, acommunication method, a program, and a communication system.

BACKGROUND ART

Recently, wireless local area network (LAN) systems, as typified by theInstitute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11, arebecoming more prevalent instead of wired networks, because of advantagessuch as a high degree of freedom for equipment. Such wireless LANsystems operate in an infrastructure mode, for example, in whichmultiple wireless communication devices communicate via an access point.

Meanwhile, Wi-Fi Direct, formulated by the Wi-Fi Alliance, supports adirect communication mode in which multiple wireless communicationdevices connect directly to form a communication group. In this directcommunication mode, communication is initiated after establishing aconnection between wireless communication devices using Device Discoveryand Formation. Note that Device Discovery is a process for discovering anearby wireless communication device, while Formation includes processessuch as a process of deciding which wireless communication device willoperate as a group owner, and an authentication process (Provisioning).

There also exists a wireless communication device capable of switchingbetween the infrastructure mode and the direct communication modediscussed above to communicate. Additionally, contactless communicationover a shorter communication range than wireless communication such aswireless LAN is also becoming widespread. For example, Patent Literature1 discloses a communication device equipped with a contactlesscommunication unit that conducts contactless communication, and awireless communication unit that conducts wireless communication.

CITATION LIST Patent Literature

Patent Literature 1: JP 2008-271150A

SUMMARY OF INVENTION Technical Problem

However, a wireless communication device that has not activated directcommunication mode starts a connection process for connecting withanother wireless communication device after completing the activation ofdirect communication mode. For this reason, there is a tendency of alengthier time until a wireless communication device that has notactivated direct communication mode establishes a connection in directcommunication mode with another wireless communication device.

Accordingly, the present disclosure proposes a new and improvedcommunication device, communication method, program, and communicationsystem able to shorten the wait time until connection establishment.

Solution to Problem

According to the present disclosure, there is provided a communicationdevice including a contactless communication unit that conductscontactless communication, a wireless communication unit that conductswireless communication, and a control unit that, in a case in which thecontactless communication unit detects another communication device,controls activation start of a first communication mode of the wirelesscommunication unit, and controls a connection process for the wirelesscommunication between the contactless communication unit and the othercommunication device.

According to the present disclosure, there is provided a communicationmethod including detecting another communication device by contactlesscommunication, starting activation of a first communication mode ofwireless communication, and conducting a connection process for thewireless communication with the other communication device by thecontactless communication.

According to the present disclosure, there is provided a program forcausing a computer to function as a contactless communication unit thatconducts contactless communication, a wireless communication unit thatconducts wireless communication, and a control unit that, in a case inwhich the contactless communication unit detects another communicationdevice, controls activation start of a first communication mode of thewireless communication unit, and controls a connection process for thewireless communication between the contactless communication unit andthe other communication device.

According to the present disclosure, there is provided a communicationsystem including a plurality of communication devices. Each of theplurality of communication devices includes a contactless communicationunit that conducts contactless communication, a wireless communicationunit that conducts wireless communication, and a control unit that, in acase in which the contactless communication unit detects anothercommunication device, controls activation start of a first communicationmode of the wireless communication unit, and controls a connectionprocess for the wireless communication between the contactlesscommunication unit and the other communication device.

Advantageous Effects of Invention

According to the present disclosure as described above, the wait timeuntil connection establishment may be shortened.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a configuration of awireless communication system according to the first embodiment of thepresent disclosure.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram illustrating operation of a wirelesscommunication system according to a comparative example.

FIG. 3 is a function block diagram illustrating a configuration of awireless communication device 20 according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram illustrating operation of a wirelesscommunication system according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a specific example of aconnection start screen.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a specific example of aconnection completion screen.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a first execution exampleof Formation.

FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a second execution exampleof Formation.

FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram illustrating another execution exampleof the present embodiment.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating operation of a wirelesscommunication device 20 according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an exemplary modificationof the first embodiment.

FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a typical connectionprocedure for three or more wireless communication devices.

FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a connection procedureaccording to the second embodiment.

FIG. 14 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a hardware configurationof the wireless communication device 20.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will bedescribed in detail with reference to the appended drawings. Note that,in this specification and the drawings, elements that have substantiallythe same function and structure are denoted with the same referencesigns, and repeated explanation is omitted.

Also, in this specification and the appended drawings, multiplestructural elements having substantially the same function and structuremay in some cases be distinguished by different letters appended to thesame sign. For example, multiple elements having substantially the samefunction and structure are distinguished as wireless communicationdevices 20A, 20B, and so on as necessary. On the other hand, when notparticularly distinguishing each of multiple structural elements havingsubstantially the same function and structure, only the same sign willbe given. For example, the wireless communication devices 20A and 20Bwill be simply designated the wireless communication device 20 when notbeing particularly distinguished.

In addition, the present disclosure will be described in the orderindicated below.

1. First Embodiment

-   -   1-1. Configuration of wireless communication system    -   1-2. Configuration of wireless communication device    -   1-3. Operation of wireless communication system    -   1-4. Operation of wireless communication device    -   1-5. Exemplary modifications

2. Second embodiment

3. Hardware configuration

4. Conclusion

1. First Embodiment

A wireless communication device 20 according to the first embodiment ofthe present disclosure is a communication device equipped with:

A. a contactless communication unit (NFC antenna 24, NFC interface 240)that conducts contactless communication;

B. a wireless communication unit (wireless antenna 22, wireless LANinterface 220) that conducts wireless communication; and

C. a control unit (280) that, in a case in which the contactlesscommunication unit detects another communication device, startsactivation of a first communication mode of the wireless communicationunit, and controls a connection process for the wireless communicationbetween the contactless communication unit and the other communicationdevice.

Hereinafter, first, a basic configuration of a wireless communicationsystem that includes such a wireless communication device 20 will bedescribed.

1-1. Configuration of Wireless Communication System

FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a configuration of awireless communication system according to the first embodiment of thepresent disclosure. As illustrated in FIG. 1, a wireless communicationsystem according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure isequipped with multiple wireless communication devices 20.

The wireless communication device 20 includes a wireless communicationfunction using wireless LAN, and uses a wireless antenna 22 to conductwireless communication with a nearby wireless communication device 20.Additionally, the wireless communication device 20 operates ininfrastructure mode (a second communication mode), or directcommunication mode (a first communication mode). In the case ofoperating in infrastructure mode, the wireless communication device 20communicates with another wireless communication device via an accesspoint. On the other hand, in the case of operating in directcommunication mode, the wireless communication device 20 directlycommunicates with a nearby wireless communication device 20, withouttraversing an access point.

Note that the direct communication mode may be Wi-Fi Direct, formulatedby the Wi-Fi Alliance. In this direct communication mode, communicationis initiated after establishing a connection between wirelesscommunication devices using Device Discovery and Formation. Note thatDevice Discovery is a process for discovering a nearby wirelesscommunication device, while Formation includes processes such as aprocess of deciding which wireless communication device will operate asa group owner, and an authentication process (Provisioning).

In addition, the wireless communication device 20 includes a near fieldcommunication (NFC) function, and uses an NFC antenna 24 to conduct NFCcommunication (contactless communication) with a nearby wirelesscommunication device 20.

Note that the wireless communication device 20 may also be aninformation processing device such as a personal computer (PC), a homegame console, an electrical appliance, a mobile phone, a PersonalHandy-phone System (PHS), a portable music player, or a portable videoprocessing device.

In addition, the wireless communication device 20 may communicate audiodata such as music, lectures, and radio programs, video data such asmovies, video programs, photographs, documents, drawings, and charts,and content data such as games and software.

(Background)

Meanwhile, a typical wireless communication device, after completing theactivation of direct communication mode, starts a connection process forcommunicating with another wireless communication device by directcommunication mode. Note that the connection process may be DeviceDiscovery and Formation. For this reason, there is a tendency of alengthier time until a wireless communication device that has notactivated direct communication mode establishes a connection in directcommunication mode with another wireless communication device. Thispoint will be described more specifically below with reference to FIG.2.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram illustrating operation of a wirelesscommunication system according to a comparative example. As illustratedin FIG. 2, in a wireless communication system according to a comparativeexample, a user performs an operation to activate the directcommunication mode of a wireless communication device #A, and anoperation to activate the direct communication of a wirelesscommunication device #B (S60A, S60B). Consequently, the wirelesscommunication device #A and the wireless communication device #B conducta direct communication mode activation process (S62A, S62B).

Subsequently, after activation of the wireless communication device #Aand the wireless communication device #B is completed and the wirelesscommunication device #A and the wireless communication device #B enteran active state, the wireless communication device #A and the wirelesscommunication device #B discover each other by Device Discovery (S64).

Then, the wireless communication device #A and the wirelesscommunication device #B decide a parent/child relationship and conductan authentication process by Formation (S66), and start directcommunication (Operation) (S68).

In this way, in the wireless communication system according to thecomparative example, the connection process is initiated aftercompleting the activation of direct communication in the wirelesscommunication devices. For this reason, there is a long time until aconnection is established and direct communication becomes executable.

Accordingly, focusing on the above circumstances led to the creation ofthe first embodiment of the present disclosure. According to the firstembodiment of the present disclosure, it is possible to shorten the waittime until connection establishment. Hereinafter, such a firstembodiment of the present disclosure will be described in detail.

1-2. Configuration of Wireless Communication Device

FIG. 3 is a function block diagram illustrating a configuration of awireless communication device 20 according to the first embodiment. Asillustrated in FIG. 3, a wireless communication device 20 according tothe first embodiment is equipped with a wireless antenna 22, an NFCantenna 24, a wireless LAN interface 220, an NFC interface 240, anoperating unit 250, a display unit 260, memory 270, and a control unit280.

The wireless LAN interface 220, under control by the control unit 280,conducts a connection process for connecting with a nearby wirelesscommunication device 20, directly communicating with a nearby wirelesscommunication device 20, and the like, by working cooperatively with thewireless antenna 22. For example, the wireless LAN interface 220performs signal receiving processes such as down-conversion,demodulation, and decoding on a wireless signal received by the wirelessantenna 22, and supplies received data obtained by the signal receivingprocesses to the control unit 280. Additionally, the wireless LANinterface 220 performs signal transmitting processes such as encoding,modulation, and up-conversion on transmit data supplied from the controlunit 280, and outputs a high-frequency signal obtained by the signaltransmitting processes to the wireless antenna.

The NFC interface 240, under control by the control unit 280, conductsNFC communication with a nearby wireless communication device 20 byworking cooperatively with the NFC antenna 24. For example, the NFCinterface 240 may transmit a radio wave that reaches a short distance ofapproximately 10 cm from the NFC antenna 24, drive the NFC antenna 24 ofanother wireless communication device 20 included within the radio waverange, and communicate with the other wireless communication device 20.

The operating unit 250 is a component by which a user performsoperations to give instructions to the wireless communication device 20and input information. The operating unit 250, upon detecting a useroperation, outputs a signal according to the detected user operation tothe control unit 280. Such an operating unit 250 may be a mouse, akeyboard, a touch panel, a button, a microphone, a switch, or a lever,for example.

The display unit 260, under control by the control unit 280, displaysvarious display screens. For example, the display unit 260 displaysscreens that notify a user of connection start and connection completionwith another wireless communication device 20. Such a display unit 260may be a cathode ray tube (CRT) display device, a liquid crystal display(LCD) device, an organic light-emitting diode (OLED) device, or an LEDlamp, for example.

The memory 270 stores programs required by the wireless communicationdevice 20 to operate, information for connecting to another wirelesscommunication device 20, and the like. For example, the memory 270stores credentials for another wireless communication device 20 (such asan SSID and WPA2-PSK), configuration information, or the like.

The control unit 280 controls overall operation of the wirelesscommunication device 20. For example, the control unit 280 controls theactivation of the direct communication mode of the wireless LANinterface 220, Device Discovery and Formation by the wireless LANinterface 220, and the like.

Note that Device Discovery is a process by which multiple wirelesscommunication devices 20 discover each other. In this Device Discovery,a beacon, a probe request, and a probe response are transmitted in orderto scan, wait for a response, and search. Also, in Formation, theassignment of roles (such as group owner or client) is decided and anauthentication process (Provision) is conducted with another discoveredwireless communication device 20.

Also, if another wireless communication device 20 is detected by the NFCinterface 240, the control unit 280 according to the present embodimentstarts activation of the direct communication mode of the wireless LANinterface 220, and in addition, causes the NFC interface 240 to start aconnection process for direct communication with the other wirelesscommunication device 20. According to such a configuration, a connectionprocess for direct communication may be conducted in parallel with theactivation of direct communication mode, and thus the wait time untilconnection establishment may be shortened. Hereinafter, this point willbe described in further detail with reference to specific operation.

1-3. Operation of Wireless Communication System

(Overall Operation of System)

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram illustrating operation of a wirelesscommunication system according to the first embodiment. As illustratedin FIG. 4, a wireless communication device 20A, upon detecting awireless communication device 20B by Device Discovery using NFCcommunication while direct communication mode is off (S304), causes thewireless LAN interface 220 to activate direct communication mode.Similarly, the wireless communication device 20B, upon detecting thewireless communication device 20A, causes the wireless LAN interface 220to activate direct communication mode.

Note that the wireless communication device 20A may also cause directcommunication mode to be activated in the case of receiving informationrequesting direct communication during NFC communication with thewireless communication device 20B. Also, Device Discovery is primarilyconducted in order to discover a specific wireless communication devicefrom among multiple wireless communication devices. For this reason, thewireless communication device 20 may also omit Device Discovery if apeer wireless communication device may be specified by a proximityoperation like NFC communication.

After that, the wireless communication device 20A and the wirelesscommunication device 20B start Formation in parallel with the activationof direct communication mode (S306-1). At this point, the display unit260 of the wireless communication device 20 may display a screenindicating connection start, as illustrated in FIG. 5. A user, byselecting the “Abort” button on this screen, is able to give aninstruction to abort the connection process between the wirelesscommunication device 20A and the wireless communication device 20B.

Note that since the communication speed of NFC is poorer than wirelesscommunication such as LAN, the wireless communication device 20 mayattempt to shorten the communication time by reducing the size ofpackets communicated by NFC. For example, in Formation, information suchas a Device_Name (maximum 32 bytes) and a P2P_Group_ID (maximum 32bytes) are communicated as P2P_Device_info. For this reason, thewireless communication device 20 may use shortened names for theDevice_Name and the P2P_Group_ID, and may not communicate optionalattributes. According to such a configuration, the packet size may bereduced, and the communication time may be shortened.

Subsequently, after the activation of direct communication mode iscompleted, the wireless communication device 20A and the wirelesscommunication device 20B uses wireless communication to conduct anunexecuted process in Formation (S306-2). Consequently, a connectionbetween the wireless communication device 20A and the wirelesscommunication device 20B is established (S308). At this point, thedisplay unit 260 of the wireless communication device 20 may display ascreen indicating connection completion, as illustrated in FIG. 6. Notethat after the activation of direct communication mode is completed, thewireless communication device 20 starts transmission of a wirelesssignal such as a beacon.

As discussed earlier, after the activation of direct communication modeis completed, the wireless communication device 20 conducts anunexecuted process of the connection process by wireless communication.For this reason, the connection process to conduct by wirelesscommunication changes according to the timing when the activation ofdirect communication mode is completed. Hereinafter, a specific examplewill be described.

(First Execution Example of Formation)

FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a first execution exampleof Formation. As illustrated in FIG. 7, if the direct communication modeof the wireless communication device 20A is active, GO_Negotiation isconducted by having the wireless communication device 20A transmit aGO_Negotiation_Request by NFC (S312), the wireless communication device20B transmit a GO_Negotiation_Response by NFC (S314), and the wirelesscommunication device 20A transmit a GO_Negotiation_Confirmation by NFC(S316).

Note that in GO_Negotiation, each of the wireless communication device20A and the wireless communication device 20B exchanges a priority foroperating as group owner, and the wireless communication device 20 witha higher priority decides to operate as group owner. FIG. 7 illustratesan example in which, according to this GO_Negotiation, it is decidedthat the wireless communication device 20B will operate as the groupowner, and the wireless communication device 20A will operate as aclient.

After that, the wireless communication device 20A and the wirelesscommunication device 20B execute WPS_exchange by NFC, and sharecredentials (such as an SSID and WPA2-PSK) (S318).

Subsequently, the wireless communication device 20A and the wirelesscommunication device 20B execute a 4-way_handshake. At this point, inthe example illustrated in FIG. 7, the activation of the directcommunication mode of the wireless communication device 20A has beencompleted, and thus the wireless communication device 20A and thewireless communication device 20B execute a 4-way_handshake by wirelesscommunication (S320).

In this way, in the first execution example, the GO_Negotiation andWPS_exchange are executed by NFC, while the 4-way_handshake is executedby wireless communication.

(Second Execution Example of Formation)

FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a second execution exampleof Formation. As illustrated in FIG. 8, if the direct communication modeof the wireless communication device 20A is active, the wirelesscommunication device 20A transmits a GO_Negotiation_Request by NFC(S322). Subsequently, the wireless communication device 20B transmits aGO_Negotiation_Response. At this point, in the example illustrated inFIG. 8, the activation of the direct communication mode of the wirelesscommunication device 20A has been completed, and thus the wirelesscommunication device 20B transmits the GO_Negotiation_Response bywireless communication (S324). Note that the wireless communicationdevice 20B is able to determine whether or not the activation of thedirect communication mode of the wireless communication device 20A hasbeen completed based on whether or not the wireless communication device20A has started transmission of a wireless signal such as a beacon.

Subsequently, the wireless communication device 20A transmits aGO_Negotiation_Confirmation by wireless communication (S326).

Furthermore, the wireless communication device 20A and the wirelesscommunication device 20B conduct the subsequent WPS_exchange and4-way_handshake by wireless communication (S328, S330).

In this way, in the second execution example, unlike the first executionexample, part of GO_Negotiation is executed by NFC, while the remainingprocesses of GO_Negotiation, WPS_exchange, and 4-way_handshake areconducted by wireless communication.

(Supplemental Remarks)

Note that the present embodiment is also applicable toWPS_Push_Button_Configuration. Hereinafter, such a case will be morespecifically described with reference to FIG. 9.

FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram illustrating another execution exampleof the present embodiment. As illustrated in FIG. 9, if the directcommunication mode of the wireless communication device 20A is active,GO_Negotiation is conducted by having the wireless communication device20A transmit a GO_Negotiation_Request by NFC (S332), the wirelesscommunication device 20B transmit a GO_Negotiation_Response by NFC(S334), and the wireless communication device 20A transmit aGO_Negotiation_Confirmation by NFC (S336).

After that, the wireless communication device 20A and the wirelesscommunication device 20B execute a Probe_exchange (PBC) by NFC (S337).Subsequently, the wireless communication device 20A and the wirelesscommunication device 20B conduct the WPS_exchange and the4-way_handshake. At this point, in the example illustrated in FIG. 9,the activation of the direct communication mode of the wirelesscommunication device 20A has been completed, and thus the wirelesscommunication device 20A and the wireless communication device 20Bconduct the WPS_exchange and the 4-way_handshake by wirelesscommunication (S338, S340). Consequently, a connection between thewireless communication device 20A and the wireless communication device20B is established.

1-4. Operation of Wireless Communication Device

The above thus describes operation of a wireless communication systemaccording to the first embodiment. Next, operation of a wirelesscommunication device 20 according to the first embodiment will besummarized with reference to FIG. 10.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating operation of a wirelesscommunication device 20 according to the first embodiment. Asillustrated in FIG. 10, upon detecting another wireless communicationdevice by NFC (S404), the control unit 280 of the wireless communicationdevice 20 judges whether or not direct communication configurationinformation is included in information communicated with the otherwireless communication device (S408). At this point, if directcommunication configuration information is not included, the wirelesscommunication device 20 does not conduct the processes of S412 to S428described below.

On the other hand, if direct communication configuration information isincluded, the control unit 280 causes the wireless LAN interface 220 toactivate direct communication mode (S412). Subsequently, the NFCinterface 240 executes a connection process for direct communication byNFC until the activation of the direct communication mode is completed(S416, S420).

After that, when the activation of direct communication mode iscompleted, the control unit 280 causes the wireless LAN interface 220 toexecute the rest of the connection process (S424). Subsequently, afterthe entire connection process is completed, the wireless communicationdevice 20 starts communication with the other wireless communicationdevice by wireless LAN (S428).

As described above, if another wireless communication device 20 isdetected by the NFC interface 240, the control unit 280 according to thepresent embodiment controls activation start of the direct communicationmode of the wireless LAN interface 220, and in addition, causes the NFCinterface 240 to start a connection process for direct communicationwith the other wireless communication device 20. According to such aconfiguration, a connection process for direct communication may beconducted in parallel with the activation of direct communication mode,and thus the wait time until connection establishment may be shortened.

1-5. Exemplary Modifications

Note that although the foregoing describes the wireless communicationdevice 20 conducting a process in the case in which direct communicationis off. However, the case in which direct communication mode is offencompasses both the case in which the wireless LAN interface 220 isoff, as well as the case in which the wireless LAN interface 220 isoperating in infrastructure mode.

Typically, in the case in which a wireless communication device(hereinafter, the first wireless communication device) is operating ininfrastructure mode, in order for a second wireless communication deviceto connect to the first wireless communication device in directcommunication mode, a user performs an operation of disconnecting thefirst wireless communication device from an access point, and conductingan operation of connecting the first wireless communication device andthe second wireless communication device.

However, these disconnecting and connecting operations are burdensome tothe user. In contrast, according to an exemplary modification of thepresent embodiment, it is possible to easily switch from infrastructuremode to direct communication. Hereinafter, such an exemplarymodification of the present embodiment will be described with referenceto FIG. 11.

FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an exemplary modificationof the first embodiment. As illustrated in FIG. 11, consider the case inwhich a wireless communication device 20A and a wireless communicationdevice 20B are brought close together while an AP 10 and the wirelesscommunication device 20A are connected in infrastructure mode (S452). Inthis case, the wireless communication device 20A detects the wirelesscommunication device 20B by NFC, and conducts Provisioning by NFC, forexample (S454).

Meanwhile, if the wireless communication device 20B is detected by NFC,the wireless communication device 20A disconnects the connection withthe AP 10, and starts activation of direct communication mode (S456).Subsequently, after the activation of direct communication mode iscompleted, the wireless communication device 20A and the wirelesscommunication device 20B are connected (S458).

In this way, according to an exemplary modification of the firstembodiment, it becomes possible to easily switch the communication modefrom infrastructure mode to direct communication mode without operatingthe wireless communication device 20A.

2. Second Embodiment

The foregoing thus describes the first embodiment of the presentdisclosure. Next, a second embodiment of the present disclosure will bedescribed. According to the second embodiment of the present disclosure,it is possible to shorten the time to connect three or more wirelesscommunication devices. Hereinafter, after describing a typicalconnection procedure for three or more wireless communication devices,the present embodiment will be specifically described.

FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a typical connectionprocedure for three or more wireless communication devices. Asillustrated in FIG. 12, in order to connect a wireless communicationdevice #A, a wireless communication device #B, and a wirelesscommunication device #C, first, the wireless communication device #A andthe wireless communication device #B conducts Device Discovery andProvisioning (S82, S84). Consequently, a communication group of thewireless communication device #A and the wireless communication device#B is formed.

Subsequently, by having the wireless communication device #B and thewireless communication device #C conduct Device Discovery andProvisioning, the wireless communication device #C joins thecommunication group (S86, S88). As a result, wireless communicationbecomes possible among the wireless communication device #A, thewireless communication device #B, and the wireless communication device#C.

However, with the connection procedure illustrated in FIG. 12, theconnection process between the wireless communication device #A and thewireless communication device #B as well as the connection processbetween the wireless communication device #B and the wirelesscommunication device #C are conducted serially. In contrast, in thesecond embodiment of the present disclosure, connection processes formultiple pairs of wireless communication devices are conducted inparallel, thereby enabling a shortening of the connection time. Thedescription hereinafter will refer to FIG. 13.

FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a connection procedureaccording to the second embodiment. As illustrated in FIG. 13, thewireless communication device 20B conducts Device Discovery andProvisioning with the wireless communication device 20A by wireless LAN(S502, S506). At the same time, the wireless communication device 20Bconducts Device Discovery and Provisioning with the wirelesscommunication device 20C by NFC (S504, S508). Consequently, the wirelesscommunication device 20A, the wireless communication device 20B, and thewireless communication device 20C are connected.

In this way, according to the second embodiment, it is possible toconduct connection processes for multiple pairs of wirelesscommunication devices 20 in parallel using different communicationmethods. As a result, the wait time until the connection of three ormore wireless communication devices is completed may be shortened.

3. Hardware Configuration

The foregoing thus describes respective embodiments of the presentdisclosure. The process by the wireless communication device 20discussed in the foregoing is realized by cooperative action betweensoftware, and the hardware of the wireless communication device 20described below.

FIG. 14 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a hardware configurationof the wireless communication device 20. As illustrated in FIG. 14, thewireless communication device 20 is equipped with a central processingunit (CPU) 201, read-only memory (ROM) 202, random access memory (RAM)203, an input device 208, an output device 210, a storage device 211, adrive 212, an image capture device 213, and a communication device 215.

The CPU 201 functions as a computational processing device and controldevice, and controls overall operation inside the wireless communicationdevice 20 by following various programs. Also, the CPU 201 may be amicroprocessor. The ROM 202 stores information such as programs andcomputational parameters used by the CPU 201. The RAM 203 temporarilystores information such as programs used during execution by the CPU201, and parameters that change as appropriate during such execution.These components are connected to each other by a host bus realized by aCPU bus, for example.

The input device 208 is made up of an input means by which a user inputsinformation, such as a mouse, a keyboard, a touch panel, a button, amicrophone, a switch, or lever, and an input control circuit thatgenerates an input signal on the basis of input from the user, andoutputs to the CPU 201, for example. By operating the input device 208,a user of the wireless communication device 20 is able to input variousdata and instruct the wireless communication device 20 to performprocessing operations, for example.

The output device 210 includes a display device such as a liquid crystaldisplay (LCD) device, an organic light-emitting diode (OLED) device, ora lamp, for example. Additionally, the output device 210 includes anaudio output device such as a speaker or headphones. For example, thedisplay device displays captured images, generated images, and the like.Meanwhile, the audio output device converts audio data or the like intosound, and outputs the sound.

The storage device 211 is a device used for data storage, realized as anexample of a storage unit in the wireless communication device 20according to the present embodiment. The storage device 211 may includea storage medium, a recording device that records data to the storagemedium, a readout device that reads out data from the storage medium, adeletion device that deletes data recorded to the storage medium, andthe like. The storage device 211 stores programs executed by the CPU 201and various data.

The drive 212 is a reader/writer for a storage medium, and is internallyhoused inside, or externally attached to, the wireless communicationdevice 20. The drive 212 reads out information recorded to a removablestorage medium 26 such as an inserted magnetic disk, optical disc,magneto-optical disc, or semiconductor memory, and outputs suchinformation to the RAM 203. Additionally, the drive 212 may also writeinformation to the removable storage medium 26.

The image capture device 213 is equipped with an image capture opticalsystem such as a photographic lens that condenses light and a zoom lens,as well as a signal conversion sensor such as a charge-coupled device(CCD) or a complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS). The imagecapture optical system condenses light radiating from a subject to forma subject image on a signal conversion unit, and the signal conversionsensor converts the formed subject image into an electrical imagesignal.

The communication device 215 is a communication interface realized by acommunication device or the like that connects to a network 12, forexample. Also, the communication device 215 may be a communicationdevice supporting wireless local area network (LAN), a communicationdevice supporting Long Term Evolution (LTE), and a wired communicationdevice that communicates via a wired link.

Note that the network 12 is a wired or wireless transmission channel forinformation transmitted from a device connected to the network 12. Forexample, the network 12 may encompass a public network such as theInternet, a telephone network, or a satellite communication network, andvarious local area networks (LANs) or wide area networks (WANs)including Ethernet (registered trademark). Additionally, the network 12may also encompass a dedicated network such as an Internet Protocolvirtual private network (IP-VPN).

4. CONCLUSION

As described above, if another wireless communication device 20 isdetected by the NFC interface 240, the control unit 280 according to thefirst embodiment controls activation start of the direct communicationmode of the wireless LAN interface 220, and in addition, causes the NFCinterface 240 to start a connection process for direct communicationwith the other wireless communication device 20. According to such aconfiguration, a connection process for direct communication may beconducted in parallel with the activation of direct communication mode,and thus the wait time until connection establishment may be shortened.

In addition, according to the second embodiment, it is possible toconduct connection processes for multiple pairs of wirelesscommunication devices 20 in parallel using different communicationmethods. As a result, the wait time until the connection of three ormore wireless communication devices is completed may be shortened.

The foregoing thus describes preferred embodiments of the presentdisclosure in detail and with reference to the attached drawings.However, the technical scope of the present disclosure is not limited tosuch examples. It is clear to persons ordinarily skilled in thetechnical field of the present disclosure that various modifications oralterations may occur insofar as they are within the scope of thetechnical ideas stated in the claims, and it is to be understood thatsuch modifications or alterations obviously belong to the technicalscope of the present disclosure.

For example, although the foregoing describes an example in which aconnection process conducted by wireless communication changes accordingto the timing when the activation of direct communication mode iscompleted, the connection process to conduct by wireless communicationmay be the same, irrespective of the timing when the activation ofdirect communication mode is completed. In other words, the wirelesscommunication device 20 may conduct a designated connection process byNFC, and after the activation of direct communication mode is completed,conduct the rest of the connection process by wireless communication.

Also, the respective steps in a process of the wireless communicationsystem and wireless communication device 20 in this specification arenot necessarily required to be processed in a time series following asequence described herein as a sequence diagram or flowchart herein. Forexample, the respective in a process of the wireless communicationdevice 20 may be processed in a sequence that differs from the sequencesdescribed herein as a flowchart, and furthermore may be processed inparallel.

In addition, it is also possible to create a computer program causinghardware such as the CPU 201, ROM 202, and RAM 203 built into thewireless communication device 20 to exhibit the same functionality asthe respective components of the above wireless communication device 20.Also, a storage medium having such a computer program stored therein isalso provided.

(1)

A communication device including:

a contactless communication unit that conducts contactlesscommunication;

a wireless communication unit that conducts wireless communication; and

a control unit that, in a case in which the contactless communicationunit detects another communication device, controls activation start ofa first communication mode of the wireless communication unit, andcontrols a connection process for the wireless communication between thecontactless communication unit and the other communication device.

(2)

The communication device according to (1), wherein

after activation of the first communication mode of the wirelesscommunication unit is completed, the control unit causes the wirelesscommunication unit to conduct an unexecuted process from among theconnection process.

(3)

The communication device according to (2), wherein

the unexecuted process varies according to an activation completiontiming of the first communication mode of the wireless communicationunit.

(4)

The communication device according to any one of (1) to (3), wherein

in a case in which the contactless communication unit detects anothercommunication device while the wireless communication unit is operatingin a second communication mode, the control unit controls disconnectionof a connection by the second communication mode, and controlsactivation start of a first communication mode of the wirelesscommunication unit.

(5)

The communication device according to any one of (1) to (4), wherein

the second communication mode is an infrastructure mode that conductscommunication via an access point, and

the first communication mode is a direct communication mode thatconducts communication without traversing the access point.

(6)

A communication method including:

detecting another communication device by contactless communication;

starting activation of a first communication mode of wirelesscommunication; and

conducting a connection process for the wireless communication with theother communication device by the contactless communication.

(7)

A program for causing a computer to function as:

a contactless communication unit that conducts contactlesscommunication;

a wireless communication unit that conducts wireless communication; and

a control unit that, in a case in which the contactless communicationunit detects another communication device, controls activation start ofa first communication mode of the wireless communication unit, andcontrols a connection process for the wireless communication between thecontactless communication unit and the other communication device.

(8)

A communication system including:

a plurality of communication devices,

wherein each of the plurality of communication devices includes

-   -   a contactless communication unit that conducts contactless        communication,    -   a wireless communication unit that conducts wireless        communication, and    -   a control unit that, in a case in which the contactless        communication unit detects another communication device,        controls activation start of a first communication mode of the        wireless communication unit, and controls a connection process        for the wireless communication between the contactless        communication unit and the other communication device.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST

-   20 wireless communication device-   22 wireless antenna-   24 NFC antenna-   220 wireless LAN interface-   240 NFC interface-   250 operating unit-   260 display unit-   270 memory-   280 control unit

The invention claimed is:
 1. A wireless communication device,comprising: an antenna interface for connecting to an antenna forwireless communication; a host controller interface for connecting to ahost controller, the host controller further connecting to a contactlesscommunication device for contactless communication; and a control unitconfigured to discover a wireless communication apparatus through thehost controller interface, to start activation of a direct communicationmode and to conduct a negotiation about roles during the activation ofthe direct communication mode, such that the negotiation about roles isperformed by contactless communication in parallel with the activationof the direct communication mode by wireless communication.
 2. Thewireless communication device according to claim 1, wherein the hostcontroller starts the activation when the wireless communicationapparatus is detected with the contactless communication device.
 3. Thewireless communication device according to claim 2, wherein the controlunit further configured to start sending beacons when the wirelesscommunication device is determined to operate as group owner as a resultof the negotiation.
 4. A wireless controller device, comprising: acontactless antenna interface for connecting to a contactless antenna; awireless antenna interface for connecting to a wireless antenna; acontrol unit configured to discover a wireless communication apparatusthrough said contactless antenna interface, to start activation of adirect communication mode and to conduct a negotiation about rolesduring the activation of the direct communication mode, such that thenegotiation about roles is performed by contactless communication inparallel with the activation of the direct communication mode bywireless communication.
 5. The wireless controller device according toclaim 4, wherein said control unit is further configured to start theactivation when the wireless communication apparatus is detected throughcontactless antenna interface.
 6. The wireless controller deviceaccording to claim 5, wherein said control unit is further configured tostart sending beacons through the wireless antenna interface when thewireless controller device is determined to operate as group owner as aresult of the negotiation.